


The Switch

by thedevilsinthedetails



Category: The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
Genre: Attempt at Humor, F/F, bit of angst, blame this on quarantine, freaky friday AU, i honestly don't know what this is, magic i guess, rom com
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-04
Updated: 2020-04-04
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:13:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,755
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23482225
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thedevilsinthedetails/pseuds/thedevilsinthedetails
Summary: Later, after she had returned to her apartment, she remembered the half open fortune cookie and pulled it out of her jacket pocket. She broke the cookie in half mournfully and read her fortune aloud.A journey soon begins, its prize reflected in another’s eyes. When what you see, is what you lack, then selfless love will change you back.What she didn’t know was right then, at the very same moment across the city, another woman was reading the same fortune and it would change their lives forever.
Relationships: Miranda Priestly/Andrea Sachs
Comments: 10
Kudos: 66





	The Switch

**Author's Note:**

> Trying my hand at a multichapter fic! I don't know how long it'll be or whatever, I'm just stuck in the house and thought this would be a cute idea. No beta or anything sooooo yeah...mistakes are mine. Hopefully it doesn't suck and you all like it!

Andy came through the doors of the takeout restaurant in a flurry of motion as she juggled the bags of Hermes scarves wrapped around her wrist and let out an exhausted sigh. The woman behind the counter, now a friend of hers, greeted her with a warm knowing smile.

“Tough day, Andy?” She smirked as Andy leaned forward on the counter and her exhale lifted her bags from her head comically.

“Oh my god, Kyoko. You have no idea.” Andy lamented. “Miranda is in beast mode today and I just rushed halfway across town to fetch, she literally told me to ‘ _fetch_ ’, these scarves and not ten minutes ago she rang demanding dinner as well.”

“Well lucky for you, you’ve got me.” Kyoko winked.

Just as Andy was about to agree, her phone rang, and she looked at the caller ID. Miranda. Of course, who else would be calling her at 5pm on a Sunday night. A night she was supposed to have off except someone, not naming any names, _Emily_ , decided they needed to switch days off because of family coming in town.

She should have declined the trade. At least then she wouldn’t be stuck with a pain in the ass editor-in-chief who was never happy. “Yes, Miranda?”

“What could possibly be taking you so long? Have you _died_ or something?”

 _Obviously, I’m still talking to you so no, I’m not dead,_ she snarked in her head. “No, Miranda.” She replied dutifully.

“Well, has the restaurant run out of food? Did they have to catch the fish out of the sea themselves?”

 _This woman is going to be the death of me._ “No, Miranda.” Andy replied, trying to stay positive, but knowing a dressing down was coming.

“Then I fail to understand why you are not here. You’ve got 10 minutes to be standing in my office with the items I requested or don’t bother coming back.”

Kyoko watched Andy’s face pale at the threat and the tears well in her large chestnut eyes before she responded. “Yes, Miranda.”

Andy hung up the phone and ordered the food. She didn’t need to express that it was a rush order and for that she was thankful. Kyoko was a good friend, one of the first she made after she took the job of Miranda Priestley’s assistant. Turned out Miranda had a penchant for Asian cuisine and Andy knew just the place. And, while the memories of numerous date nights here with Nate hurt, she had to admit it was the best. And Miranda demanded the best.

So, Andy waited impatiently by the counter, silently fidgeting with her watch on her wrist, counting down the minutes.

~

A break in the line of customers gave Kyoko a chance to look at Andy. She was polished, over dressed for a Sunday evening in a takeout restaurant, and oh so beautiful. After her split from her loser ex-boyfriend Nate, she had invited her out for drinks, wondering if maybe there might be something more to them than just friends. Alas, drinks turned into shots, turned into drunk confessions and Andy let loose that she’d fallen in love with her boss. Her very successful, very famous, very much older boss. She deflated at the admission, but she knew as well as anyone that the heart wants, what the heart wants.

Kyoko could see the draw of Miranda Priestley. My god, who couldn’t? But she treated people terribly, her employees especially, and standing there watching her friend struggling she felt the need to do something. She needed advice and there was no one who gave better advice than her Soba.

~

Kyoko’s elderly grandmother walked out from the back and gave Andy her order personally and for a second, she wondered why. Andy knew about the ‘no interruption during my stories’ rule that the older woman had in place. However, a glance at her watch reminded her she had no time to ponder and she had to run if she wanted to make it in time.

She made it back with literal seconds to spare, her look harried after the sprint from the restaurant.

Andy placed the plate down on the glass desk. “Miranda, your sashimi.”

“Didn’t you get anything for yourself?” Miranda replied without looking up from the proofs in front of her.

Andy eyed her curiously before answering. “Um, yeah? I mean, yes.” She fumbled her words, thrown off by the questioning. Miranda had never cared if anyone else had eaten before. “I did.”

Miranda dropped the glossy’s in her hand and pulled her glasses down, pinning her with an expecting stare. “Well…”

“I… Well, I had planned to eat at my desk.” Andy explained.

“No.” Miranda shook her head, eyes still on Andy. “You will dine with me.”

“Um, ok.” She stared back at the woman, confusion lining her face before Miranda cleared her throat. “Right! Right…today.” As she turned to go back to her desk to retrieve her dinner Andy mumbled lowly to herself, “we all know how much you enjoy waiting…”

“What was that?”

“Nothing!” Andy answered a bit too quickly and Miranda’s eyebrow arched in reply. “Nothing of importance I mean. Just reminding myself of something I need to add to your schedule.” Andy fibbed, trying to placate the woman.

“Mmm.” Miranda hummed. Her pursed lips indicating that she was unconvinced at the explanation given. Still, when Andy returned and sat on the couch in the corner of the office, Miranda joined her; fueling her concern that perhaps the older woman had had a stroke and that’s why she was suddenly so keen on having her company for dinner.

~

Dinner was odd.

There was no other word for it.

They ate together in silence. Andy didn’t dare to try and engage Miranda in small talk, and Miranda, well… She just ate and stared out the window contemplatively. Andy could tell something was weighing on the editor, that much was clear. But what? The twins? Stephen? Runway?

Andy had begun to clear the debris from their dinner from the small table in front of them when her hands brushed the individually wrapped fortune cookies. Andy picked them up, and smiling, offered Miranda first pick.

“What is this nonsense, Andrea?”

“It’s customary to end the meal with the reading of your fortune.” Andy replied, her smile waning a bit.

“What use do I have for such a pedestrian custom?”

Of course, Miranda would act that way about a tiny vanilla cookie. Feeling brave or stupid (possibly both) Andy replied, “it’s just for fun, Miranda.” She continued, “they don’t actually mean anything.” Deflated by her lack of interest Andy moved to place them in the bag with the rest of the garbage. “But never mind.”

A delicate hand on her wrist stopped her and Andy looked up to see Miranda going through some sort of internal struggle before she spit out a resigned “ _fine_ ” and grabbed one of the cookies from Andy’s hand.

She watched as Miranda inspected the yellow, artificially scented cookie in her bare hand, no doubt finding this whole idea (and Andy) idiotic. “What do I do with it now?”

She couldn’t help the wide smile that grew on her face as she responded somewhat sheepishly to Miranda. “Um, well, now we break them at the same time and read our fortunes.”

Andy had just begun to open the wrapper of her cookie, so focused on getting to the slip of paper inside that she completely missed the upward tick of Miranda’s lips as she struggled reign in a smile at Andy’s childlike glee. A knock at the doors broke the magic of the moment as the new guy in copy, Todd, brought up The Book.

She refused to examine the feeling of disappointment that washed over her at the loss of the chance to do something so ‘ _pedestrian’_ as opening fortune cookies with her boss. Her very beautiful, very _married_ , boss. Jesus, she needed her head checked.

Miranda mindlessly tossed her cookie into her purse and reached for The Book as Andy shoved her cookie, coupled with her excitement, in the pocket of her jacket and left the office.

~

Something between the two had shifted during dinner and Andy sensed small crack in the walls surrounding the woman now inelegantly hunched over her desk red-lining the most recent changes to The Book.

Not for the first time that night she wondered what had Miranda here so late in the evening. She looked tired but more than that she looked stressed. It was out of character for her as she always tried to be home for the girls for dinner.

Andy, being the overachiever that she is, let her mind wander to the editor’s schedule and mentally rescheduled a few meetings for tomorrow to allow the woman, not only have dinner with her family, but to also pick the girls up from school. The girls loved Roy, but she had been there a few times when Miranda had picked them up and it was always extra special to them.

Andy cleared her throat gently as she stood in front of Miranda’s desk. Things had been relaxed this evening and Andy knew right then was be the best time to ask about getting some time off.

“Miranda,” she fiddled with her fingers before she continued. “I was wondering, well…hoping was more lik—”

Miranda interrupted like she always did when someone began rambling in her presence, “Andrea, spare me the babbling. Out with it.”

Miffed by the editor’s abruptness Andy picked back up where she left off. “Fine. I need Friday off.”

Miranda didn’t miss a beat. “No.”

“Bu—”

“I said no, and I meant no. Surely you, a college educated woman, understand the meaning of the word.” Miranda said coolly. “Even my 5-year-old twins understand it.”

“Miranda, you don’t understand. I need that day off. I have some personal business to attend to and I have already cleared it with Emily.”

The editor scoffed, “ _well…_ if you’ve already cleared it with _Emily_ then you should be all set. She _is_ the one that signs your paychecks after all.”

“No, she’s not, I just wanted to make sure you were covered for—” Andy was interrupted again, and it was pissing her off.

“You wanted to make sure that I was covered for what? The biggest gala of the year? No, you wanted to send a less capable person in place of you so that you could frolic about the city, hoping from bar to bar, or if Paris was any indication, _man to man,_ whilst I endeavor to keep _Runway_ from going in the black thanks to Irving’s terrible investment choices.”

At that, Andy saw red. “How _dare_ you!”

“How dare I?” Miranda narrowed her eyes at Andy. “No, how dare you? How dare you try to leave me on the night I need you most. It’s entirely selfish and absolutely inconsiderate.”

Andy could not believe the conversation had escalated so quickly. She blinked a few times before responding, trying to reel in her temper.

She had no luck.

“You basically just implied I was some kind of…of…” Andy couldn’t even speak the word. “I have done nothing except exactly what you asked for the last year!” She yelled. “I just need one day. Just _one!_ But, you…”

“I, _what_?” Miranda goaded. “Say it.”

“You’re never fucking satisfied!” Andy yelled, surprised by her own use of the profanity and force of her voice. _Oh well, in for a penny in for a pound._ “You sit here at this glass desk, with your perfect life and your perfect looks,” Miranda rolled her eyes making Andy flush with even more anger. “Just judging everyone who walks in here and no one will ever live up to the impossible standards you have!” Andy sucked in a breath and tried to stave off the tears she felt welling for just a second longer. “I just… I just needed one day for me. To take care of something personal and _not_ to whore around the city as you implied. Thanks for that by the way.” She stood up straight, “you think this job is so easy. Being at your beck and call all hours of the day. It’s not. It’s harder than you can imagine.”

Miranda sneered. “Oh, Andrea. A trained monkey could do your job, you need a serious reality check. I could absolutely handle it and you can bet I wouldn’t be complaining about having to attend a fancy event, dressed head to toe in designer clothing, getting to make connections with all the heavy hitters of the publishing industry.”

“Ha! You think that’s what I’m doing at these events? Making connections? What a freaking _joke!_ All anyone knows about me is that I’m ‘Miranda’s Girl’. They have no idea who I am and why would they when they are completely consumed with the perfection that you are. The queen of the fashion industry…” Andy trailed off snidely.

“Perfect. You’ve said that more than once. You think my life is all roses and you have no clue what it is really like outside this office.” Miranda stood and put her hand on her own chest. “You have no _idea_ what I’m forced to put up with on a daily basis. The pressure this so-called _perfect_ life puts on me.”

Andy stared blankly at her, her heart thrumming in her chest. “I can’t do this anymore, Miranda. You push and push until you finally push everyone away. It’s no fucking wonder you’re so lonely you had to pay someone to eat dinner with you. You’re a bitter woman, with hate in your heart and I…,” tears rolled down her cheeks, “I’m sorry,” she said softly. “I just can’t be what you need me to be.”

Miranda sucked in a ragged breath before she came back, voice weak with emotion that Andy couldn’t place. “Leave.”

“What?”

Eyes blue as the deepest ocean bore into her brown ones as she reiterated, her voice now steel. “I. Said. Leave. I wouldn’t want to burden you with my company for longer than you were paid to do so. As of this moment you are no longer employed by _Runway_.”

Andy had no idea how they had gotten to there. Anger flashed across her face before being replaced with confusion, and then finally, comprehension of what had just transpired.

It was over. The tentative relationship she had built with Miranda, one she thought was beginning to feel a lot like friendship, was over. The moment punctuated by a terse "That's all." from the silver haired woman across from her.

“O-ok.” She stuttered and the tears rolled down her cheeks. “I’ll just grab my things and go.”

She gathered her purse and the few personal items she had on her desk, a stress toy shaped like a high heel gifted to her by Serena and a bumblebee bobble head that Miranda had always found garish, and walked to the elevator without another word. She chanced a glance behind her to the woman in the glass office. A woman who she had been slowly coming to know a little better. A woman who was so much more than just an editor-in-chief of a fashion magazine. A woman who was now standing and staring out the floor length window of her office, shoulders shaking softly and a hand covering her mouth muffling her cries.

The elevator dinged and she stepped inside pushing the button for the ground floor. As the doors closed, she heard the strongest woman she had ever known whimper. She fucking _whimpered._ Andy was an idiot. a complete an total idiot and now it was too late. She had well and truly fucked her chances to ever be anything more to Miranda than just a total disappointment. The weight of that realization settled on Andy's shoulders and her tears were flowing in earnest as she exited the Elias Clark building and Miranda's life forever.

~

Later, after she had returned to her apartment, she remembered the half open fortune cookie and pulled it out of her jacket pocket. She broke the cookie in half mournfully and read her fortune aloud.

_A journey soon begins, its prize reflected in another’s eyes. When what you see, is what you lack, then selfless love will change you back._

What she didn’t know was right then, at the very same moment across the city, another woman was reading the same fortune and it would change their lives forever.


End file.
